acquisition · 2026-05-22

Three platforms, three completely different methodologies. Google is intent-driven (someone searching "HVAC near me" is ready). Meta is interest + lookalike (you find people who look like your best customers). TikTok is discovery (you create demand that did not exist). Match the platform to the business stage and the customer mindset, not to the trend.

Google Ads (Search + Local Service Ads + Maps) bids on intent. When a customer types "dentist Atlanta" into Google, they are ready to book. You pay to be the answer. CPCs are higher ($4 to $25 in many verticals) but conversion rates from click to booking are 8 to 25 percent because the customer arrives with a problem and a credit card. Meta Ads (Facebook + Instagram) bids on interest, demographics, behavior, and lookalike audiences modeled from your existing customer list. You are not capturing demand. You are creating it. CPCs are lower ($0.40 to $2.50 typical local) but you need stronger creative and a longer warming sequence because the customer was not actively looking. TikTok Ads bids on discovery. The algorithm pairs your creative with users whose viewing patterns suggest interest. CPMs are still cheap ($2 to $8 in most markets) because competition is thin compared to Meta, but you need native UGC-style video, not polished brand ads.

Google first, every time. Local Service Ads (LSA) at the top of search results, paid per qualified lead, Google Guarantee badge for trust. Expected cost per lead: $30 to $90 depending on market saturation. Standard Google Search ads as the secondary channel for higher-intent long-tail queries. Meta is a distant second for home services because the customer mindset is reactive (something is broken). You can run Meta retargeting on your website visitors but cold prospecting on Meta for HVAC is mostly money lit on fire. TikTok rarely makes sense unless you are doing brand-building content. Verdict: 80 percent of budget on Google, 20 percent on Meta retargeting.

Meta first, every time. Beauty is a visual category, the buying decision is emotional and image-driven, and Meta lookalike audiences from your existing best clients convert at 4 to 8 percent on $1 to $3 cost per lead. Instagram Reels + Story ads with real treatment photos outperform polished commercial creative by 3 to 5x. TikTok is a strong second for medspas with under-35 client base (Botox, lip filler, Morpheus). Skip Google search unless you are running brand-defense (people Googling your name) because intent on Google for "medspa near me" is weaker than the influencer-driven demand on Meta. Verdict: 60 percent Meta, 25 percent TikTok, 15 percent Google brand defense + remarketing.

Depends on the daypart. Coffee shops (daily ritual, low ticket, high frequency): Google Maps profile optimization + a small Meta ad budget targeting a 2-mile radius is usually enough. CPLs do not matter much because the unit economics make sense at small scale. Restaurants targeting dinner traffic: Meta + Instagram with foodporn creative wins. Restaurants targeting lunch traffic: TikTok and Snap (where the lunchtime decision happens). Fine dining or special-occasion restaurants: Google search ads on intent queries ("anniversary restaurant", "best steakhouse [city]"). Verdict: hyperlocal Meta + Google Maps for daily-cycle; Meta + TikTok for evening; Google for special occasion.

LinkedIn is B2B precision. If you are a professional services business (CPA, attorney, consultant, B2B SaaS, agency), LinkedIn is unmatched for job-title + company + industry targeting. CPMs are high ($25 to $80) but LTV justifies it. Skip LinkedIn for B2C local businesses; the targeting cost cannot recover. Snapchat is geo-precision for under-30 demographics. If your customer base skews young (college towns, urban bars, beauty studios) Snap inventory is underpriced. AR lens campaigns get genuine engagement. ChatGPT ads is emerging at the time of writing. OpenAI is testing conversational-intent ad formats. Position yourself early if you have the budget to test, but do not bet a quarter of your spend on it yet.

Run a $1,000 test on each platform over 14 days with identical landing pages and identical offers. Track the funnel from click to first-visit revenue. Whichever platform delivers customers at less than your maximum sustainable CAC wins. Then double down on that platform. Do not try to be everywhere at once. One channel run well beats four channels run poorly. After you are profitable on one, add the second.

We do not stop at the click. Most agencies hand you a campaign and disappear. We pair every paid-ads campaign with a custom-branded landing page that installs the customer to a wallet pass in 6 seconds, then we run automated lifecycle marketing (push + SMS + email) on that customer for the next 12 months. The unit economics work because the customer is reachable forever after the first interaction. The ad agency runs the front door. The retention engine compounds everyone who walks through it. Learn how the full stack works →